Variety (May 1936)

R A D10 SCREEN STAGE PubllBhei WfeitKly at 1B4 V7e»t 46th St, New York, N. T., by Variety. Inc.' Arinna) subscription,--16. Single copies. 16 cents. Sntered «■ 4«i«on4-class matter Pec^mber 22, 1906. at. the Post OOice at New Toric, N. utHter- tbe act ot Marcb 1^ ia7t. COPTBIOHT; M3e. by yAftUSXT; tSO, ALt BIGHTS BESBRTEO^ VoL 122 No. 8 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1936 72 PAGES 1 'finie following are some of th^ iiiatjieg booked this, season In the v^mflevlUe and picture theatres at" saldries of |2;50b and over. ijhey- xlabge from slnerle and other Individual turns to units and band ahaw8^ Some 'additional money oii. percentage splits "with the theatrest ori, top of the figures quoted: ♦Folles Parlslenne'..$13,000 Eddie Gantof, Unjtc Jack Benny Unit .... »..<.. 12,600 12,500 Riid'y Vailee Unit.. .; .> 12,600 Amo9 'h' AndS'. ..'.*«.....« Burns and Allen. 'Unlt».., ' 'S.ketch'^^ook'....: • Fired' Waring Band Paul Whltemaii Band^, Wayn6 Kitig Band ........ Eddie ibuchlh Band.... v * 'Vanltiesl' ' 'FOlteS: Comique':....... joe> Penner Unit Veloz-Tolanda and Band. tiouls Armstrong . .Band-r . Mills Bros,....,..'.'••>«< JackHylton Band. ^» John Boles 11,000 io;ooo 10,000 10,000 8,600 'Our Gang' . Unit»•.,.. • • Dave -Apoilon. Unit.......• Buddy Rogers' Band...;.. Sally Rand ^ Unit Cbogan-<Grable Unit.....a j^.T.G. UnlK. Weayer. Brojf, Unit. Ina Ray Hvftton Band. liOU Holtz. 8,600 Edward Arnoild............ 8,600. Sophie Tu^c^kWt'.............. 8,500 .Joe' Gook..,.............. 8,600 Benny' DaVis Unit...... ^. 8,600 iiUp^ Veledi, >.. 8,000 Riley and parley .,. i.. ^.. ^lyde Beatiy..........^... 8,000 Ruth Ettitig'. « ;7,60O Phil Spitalny Bahd 7,600 .i Little Jack ^Little Band... Ray iNbble Band .... ... ... 7 ,600 Bill Robinso n... Wallace iSiiery.,. ; Ted iP16Rito.T3*nS.;..'.. ' Casa Loma Band.IV'.....» . ThuVfltdn sin?iiV'.';.;. ;v.-,v. T6dr "LeVis Band.;':; .v. r. Guy liOnfib'arcro/^^tnd,... 6,260 6,600 6,200 6,000 4,500 4,600 4,000 4,000 4,000 3,750 3,600 3,600 3,500 3,600 3,500 3,600 3.600 3,600 3,000 3,00a 7!56ff~ MOlrtol^ 4 •(!••• 7,60,d "Bloisk and • Sully ....-.<.... 7,50b' Benny Meroft Band. 7,600 'I*yon- and. Daniels.;./..!. 7,5o6 BlaOkstone' Show.'.... '..'. . 7,Bpff;^<ij(liltpn Berle Ben Biernic Bind. :. .'..^ 7i$0??, ;P©lle Balcer. Cab' Calloway Band...... 6,000 Libby Holmah Hal Kemp* Band.......;.. 6,OO0i Jane^ Froman..,.; Oisen and JOhnsOn Unit,, 6,600 .F. and M. Brltton BaAd Mfeyfalr Casino Unit.*..-. 8,600 Benny Fields '^|6hflttd Ulmber Band.;., 6,5D0 Jane Withers. ?,750 '2,7$0; 2,600 2,500, ■ 2,500. 2.600 2,600 2.600 2,500 '2,500 2,500. Sfl^ Bands Pave Way for Belter Music Appreciation, Says Top Execs Reported Con- cerned Over Rising Name Act. Figures— Sa^n. , Get- - ting' Together on Silage Booking Matters—Would Ctit-y.tfir Hold 'Em. Down—> Smafler Acts Not Involved MUTUAL CONTROL For Phiico Philco radio has chartered the Monarch of Bermuda from the Fur- nesa Line" and will conduct three ocean-going conventions of its dis- trlbs and- dealers starting May 15. In all, 2;50a'persons •will be' carried to Havana and back in three dif- ferent stillings, winding up in . mid- June, when the Monarch goes back on its regular Bermuda run. Philco will display its wares and 4o Its merchandising whoopla While CCqntinued on page C5) NEGRO AMATEURS BEST San Ahtpni . Prefers Them to Whttes-^harge Admlsh Sain Antonfo, May 5. Experience, showed KM AC that Negro amateurs far exceed appeal of others so station is now reenter- Ingf the simon-pure field with special Negro programs to which public will be admitted at 15-25 cent scale. Stints will originate from auditor- ium in colored district each Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m. Special section reserved for whites. Virgil Irwin will m.c. the stanza which begins May 10 as sustalner. Stage salaries in the top brackets are due for a possible slicing, or at least mutual control, by the vari- ous circuits, according to reports in the" "vacrdevllle~ and~pidture""house booking offldes yiesterday (Tuesday)'. A<i0ount I9. that tbe theatries; 'if noit succeeding In 'trlmrning the coin, will ejadeaybr to keep, the jiresent big salaries froni going any 'hlgbe^. Desirei for ; reduction in current cost of stage, attractions Is under- stood to be centered, among a tew top executives of the major stage 'show-playing" circuits,' and.' lilieliT hood is. that any action in the Way Of cutting Or control will emanate ' (Continued 'on' page 60) TAP DANCER AT MET OPERA Curfew on Music B|iltlmore, May 5. The mayor and city council of Pederalsburg, Md., an upstate town, passed an ordinance last week which prohibits the playing of music In nlteries; barrooms, tavei'ns or any other spots which sell beer, -wine or likker. after 10 p.m. Anyone breaking this ordinance Is liable to a $100 fine, a 60-day coplins in the clink, or. both. It Is o.k. for likker to be sold till 1 a.m.. but tunes are out three hours •nefore that time each evening. Since the ordinance specifically states music,' It is presumed that a wai b- w may sing unaccompanied. Pros Duck Red Cross Shor, Dislike Bowes' Radio Amateur Angle Appointment of Major -Edward Bowes as chairman of the radio di^ vision of the entertainment com- mittee for the broadcast in behalf of the flood relief sufferers over NBC, CBS and Mutual Jointly to- morrow night (Thursda.y) has ap- pareritly proved embarrassing to the sponsors of the event. So many mike names begged off taking part in the program that it had to be postponed to date yet to be decided. Broadcast was to start at 11 P- m. EST and run an hour. Most of thp names approached averred that they were sorry, but that' Thursday was such a hard night for them that they could see no way of accepting the airing Invi- tation. Undercover angle wa.s. that (ConUniied on page 70) Paul Draper Is practically set to tap with the. American Ballet as one of the opening attractions at the Metropolitan Opera, N. Y., when the spring season gets under way Monday (11). Appearance will either be the first or second week. Stepping will be to Bach with Draper centered on a dais, and the artier terpers cavorting around him. Something of the same idea la used in 'On Yoiir Toes' musical which George Bailanchlne, chorcog- raphor of the American Ballet, staged. He is staging at the Met. Le Roy' s Earl London, May 5, The Earl of Warwick may sign a longrtermer with Mervyn Le Roy as an actor. Has deferred final decision pend^ ing screen tests to be made at Ted- dlngton'a Warner studios. Criticism? Nice, May B; v Inmates o< the ^ocal ipsane jksylum attiended a. granipplibne concert recently, during •which 4li types- ot i recorded melody ' were given a hearing. When i program was concluded they ' *>rere. asked to vote on what .>they liked best. " Unanimous choice was for American Jazz.' $1,250 to Mrs. F. D.11 For Lecture Oieemed Too Hkli for St L &i. Louis, May 6. - Demand pf $1,260 tor a singl.e'ap}- pearance' by^TMt's. Frankllti D. RObsev^lt" in St., JiOuis j^s. too steep for- lb(iai orgartizations; arid negp- tlatloris for local body to sponsor visit have been dropped. Several weekH ago Clark S.' Qetts, Mrai. Roosevelt's manager, . pasdln^ through local burg, visited offlcialtr of Municipal . Auditorium, arid sUg gested they f.nd'some'woman's club to sponsor.lecture appearahde of the Precident'B-wife,' " . ~ Effort was made, but although several, .organizations said they would be honored by supporting the Idea, subject was dropped' when told that Mrs. Roosevelt was to get first $1,250 taken in. By Georg* lillcCall Los Angeles, May 6., Bing Crosby has just finished %oBt' Jimmy Powey's combo was Bwlngihg hiKh Ih th^ sweet chariot ot 'Putting All. My Eggs in Oh© Basket' They hung the chariot da the hook of suspended harmony. ai)d Bob Burns Watted ?St, liovila Blue?* on his bazoolRjb. After this Loiiia Pritiia, wlth*hiB supporting thrfee flayers, blew his front teeth Out oh What, with the greatest stretch of imagination, might have been •Dftiah.' It was the weekly Kraft mibiii Hall broadcast from NBC's Holly- wood studio and through the afore- mentioned, seated behind the Dqrsey rhythm section, Leopold .^Stokoivskl sat in wide-eyed wonderment. Sand- wiched in between this exhibltion^C what some peopW are woh't to call 'American" XolK music,' StbkPwskl. and hW Philadelphia Symphony Or- chestra, well greased by Mlraclfli Whip, had, played fpur heavy, sym- CContlhued on page 1*) ' The President's wife's income from radio, lectures, etc., goes prin- cipally to her charities. Books the 'Draegermen' The One Way Doyle and Donnelly have re- quested their agent to book them on the Fred Allen ama- teur hour. They want to play the Roxy. St, John, N. B„ May 5. The Halifax fair, official pro- vincial exhibition for Nova .Scotia, wUl give the featured -attraction spot to the 'Draegermen,' of Stellairton, N. S., Who distinguish- ed theraselvos In the rescue of Dr. David E. Robertsoh and Alfred Scaddlng, both of Toronto, from burial alive In a crude old Moose River gold mine. Name of 'draegermen' Is be- stowed because of oxygen tank equipment carried on the back of each man while underground. The name of the firm manufacturing this equipment in Germany Is Draeger, No. 3 Co. of WPAPlay Los Angeles, May 5. Third presentation oi V.'PA play 'Chalk bust' has opened here at the Musart theatre. Original company opened at the Daly theatre In New York and waw withdrawn last Saturday (2). Sec- ond troupe opened last week at the Great Northern theatre In Chicago. on Boat m N. t Paris, May 5„ Por the first time In history the world premiere, of a play will be given in a theatre aboard the world's largest liner while It is docked in the world's largest port. All this will take place In New York harbor May 11 aboard the French liner Normandle after her first crossing of the iiiC'a;son, Play in auestlon Is called 'Another Detective Story' and has been specially wrlt- , (Continued on page 05) 2,500 Yr. Old Play Paris, April iG 'The Persians,' *a tragedy written by Eschylus nearly 2,000 years,ago and which thrilled Greek audiences five centuries before Christ, will be revived here in the courtyard of the Sorbdnnc university this sum- mer by students of ancient lan- guages. Staged as part of the 1936 'Fete* de Paris,' the aged tragedy will be presented in French, but, aside from that alteration, it will-be an exact reproduction of the original. A musical 'reconstruction' has been composed by Jacques Challley. based on ancient Greek melodies. Text has been translated Into mod- eri Idiomatic French, and costume* will resemble those whlc|H Eschylu* wore. I